Television apparatus



Sept. 4, 1945.

A. N. GQLDSMITH TELEVISION APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fly. I

{RiCE/VER AMPL.

rmlvsu/rfm I /55 Iii-- DEFLECT/A/G SYSTFM DFFZECT/NG SYSTEM DEV/CE INVENTOR S 7H ALFRED N- 0L0 M/ ATTORNEY Sept. 4, 1945. 'A:'N. GOLDSMITH TELEVISION APPARATUS Original Filed NOV- 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ALFRED IV. 60L Vk- .JY WW ATTORNEY TELEVISION APPARATUS Alfred N. Goldsmith, New York, N. Y., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware 0riglnal application November 27, 1941, Serial No. 420,629. Divided and this application September 21, 1944, Serial No. 555,107

. 7 Claims. This invention relates to color television apparatus', and, more particularly, to apparatus for receiving stereoscopic colored images, or receiving monochromatic stereoscopic pictures, or for receiving monocular color images. This application is, furthermore, a division of my earlier filed application, Serial No. 420,629, filed November 27, 1941, fora "Television system."

Stereoscopic and color transmitting systems known to the prior art .use the methods of sequentialLv scanning the images formed by left and right eye separations and three-color component separations, respectively. In the case of color television the component colors are so chosen that the signals resulting from the several componentcolor scannings, when utilized in each case to reproducean' individual image throughcorresponding appropriately selectedfilters, will provide a conjoint image in which the colors are faithfully reproduced. The scanning in such a system utilizes before or behind the television camera lens a filter disk having three-color component sectors,-'each sector having a suitable light filter so as to pass only one of the three component colors during each scanning period, which colors,

for example, may be blue, green, and red. The

output of the transmitter scanning device feeds the train of electrical signals to a suitable amplifier and thereafter the amplified energy is used to modulate aradio transmitter. Such a transmitting system may be ln'the form of that disclosed by co-pending' application, Serial No. 418,109, filed November 7, 1941, entitled "Television system."

The received signals actuate an image reproducing device at the receiving point. In front of the receiver image producing device there is 10- cated a similar tri-sector filter disk, eachsector being covered with a filter designed to pass one of the three component colors. By rotating the disk at suitable' speeds color fusion takes place by the additive process so that the observer of Y the screen appears to perceive a color picture.

In the prior art the transmission of stereoscopic pictures provides at the transmitter means for transmitting alternately the trains of electrical signals representative of two images of the object to be transmitted, the viewpoints for the images being effectively spaced at the interpupillary distance of the eyes. At the receiver the transmitted signals are converted into light 1 images on a viewing surface and immediately adjacent the viewing surface a rotating disk alter- ,nately produces a monochromatic (e. g., red) right-eye image of one color and then a monochromatic (e. g., blueish-green) left-eye image of a complementary color, so chomn that light from each of the two filters when mixed together gives the sensation of white light. The viewer is then equipped with a pair of spectacles, one aperture of which is covered with one of the filters and the other covered with filter material of a complementary color. The colors commonly used are, as

' stated illustratively, red and blueish green.

.It will be readily apparent that under these,

systems if the red filter is in front of the right eye, the only light which will reach the right eye is that light which passes through the red filter of the receiving disk and the left eye will only receive light passed through the green filter of the disk, assuming that a blueish green filter covers the left eye of the spectacles. Consequently, as the disk revolves, the right eye sees only the image that the right eye would perceive at the transmitting point, while the left eye perceives the image at .the receiver which the left 'eye would perceive at the transmitter. By rotating the disks at the transmitter and the receiver in synchronism, and at sufiiciently high speed to eliminate flicker eflect, fusion of the two images takes place to provide stereoscopic pictures. I

It will be noted that at the receiver there is required a relatively large rotating sector disk in order to provide an image of substantial di-- mensions, inasmuch as the sector must at some period of the scanning show the entire picture area. Such a receiver is undesirable from the standpoint of cost, since it requires a large driving motor, a supplementary phonic type motor for chronizing equipment, a cabinet of increased size to accommodate the disk, together with acoustical treatment to prevent the noise of the driving motor and disk from interfering with the sound reception and magnetic and electric shielding within the receiver as required.

To illustrate the last mentioned point, if an all-electronic receiving system is used, consider able difficulty is experienced in that the magnetic field set up by the motor within the receiver cabinet produces stray fields which interfere with the operation of the deflecting circuits of a kln'escope. Again, such a receiver can not, without elaborate changes, such as actually or, in effect, removing the disk and motor, be used for receiving black and white pictures or monocular be substantially reduced, flexibility increased. and at the same time pictures of improved quality can be obtained. Mynew, novel, and useful method and apparatus of receiving colored stereoscopic pictures or monocular color pictures or stereoscopic monochrome (black-andwhite) pictures does away with the motor and scanning disk positioned immediately adjacent the light reproducing device and, in its stead, utilizes a hand-held viewing device immediately adjacent the eyes of the viewer or observer.

The viewing device comprises a disk having sectorial or segmental apertures, and, in the case of color picture reception, the apertures are covered with appropriate color filters. The disk is mounted within a casing and a very small motor mounted externally on the casing serves to rotate the disk. Two apertures are provided on either side of the casing and are so positioned that they form two pairs of apertures in register with each other and spaced at interpupillary distance of an observer's eye. The number and position of the segments 'on the rotating disk are so chosen that the same color of the filter is seen in suitable time relation by both eyes. Where stereoscopic pictures are to be received, the filter disk is provided with alternate opaque and light transmitting sectors and the number so chosen that when the eyes of'the observer are placed in register with the apertures in the casing, one of the apertures is in register with the light transmitting sector, while the other aperture is occulted. Where colored stereoscopic pictures are to be received the disk comprises alternate sectors which are serially colored in accordance with a predetermined color sequence, while the intermediary.

sectors are opaque and the number and position of both sectors so chosen that when one aperture is in register with a color sector the other aperture is opaque and, further, when the disk is further rotated, the color sector is replaced by an opaque sector, while the originally opaque sector gives way to a related color sector of the same color sequence as the first named sector. In the preferred embodiment, the related color sector in the preceding sentence is of the same color as the first named sector. In any case, the color and stereoscopic scanning regimes at the transmitter and receiver respectively must be identical and synchronous.

.It will be perceived that under these conditions the left and right eye, in the preferred embodiment, alternately see the images of the same color, followed by an obscuration of the viewing surface so that with a similar disk at the transmitter, a person observes, when the disks. are rotated in synchronism and with sufficient speed. an image having a three-dimensional perspecserves the viewing surface at an appropriate distance through a rotating disk or shutter which alternately occults or obscures the vision from the left eye of the observer and vision from the right eye of the observer. This occulting action of the rotating disk immediately adjacent to the observer is in appropriate synchronous relation and phase relation to the appearance on the viewing surface of the left-eye and right-eye images, respectively, in such fashion that lefteye vision of the observer is unobscured during the period that a left-eye image appears on the viewing surface, and right-eye vision of the observer is unobscured during the period that a right-eye image appears on the viewing surface. Thus the observer sees vwith each eye, at the viewing surface, only the images which that eye would perceive in front of the actual threedimensional subject which was scanned at the transmitter. Accordingly, the observer sees a stereoscopic monochrome picture provided the disks at the transmitter and receiver are in synchronism and like phase relationship and rotate at a sufficiently high speed to eliminate any flicker effect and to cause fusion of the images seen by the right and left eyes of the observer as required to provide stereoscopic vision.

It is a portion of my invention to introduce color into the stereoscopic pictures produced according to the preceding principles by presenting to the view of the observer a rapid succession of component-color stereoscopic pictures. Thus, I may first present a left-eye blue picture to the left eye of the observer followed immediately by a blue right-eye picture submitted to the right eye of the observer. At this point, the observer would have an impression of a stereoscopic blue picture. However, immediately thereafter there is presented to the left eye of the observer a green left-eye image, immediately followed by the presentation to-the right eye of the observer of a green right-eye image. This last mentioned pair of images would therefore in themselves, and in the absence of any other pictures, give the observer the impression of a green stereoscopic picture. However, to complate a tricolor stereoscopic scanning or image cycle, there is immediately thereafter presented to the left eye of the observer a red left-eye image, immediately following which there is presented to the right eye of the observer's red 1 right-eye image. Accordingly, the observer next gets the impression of a red stereoscopic image.

The preceding viewing regime has therefore presented to the observer in rapid succession blue,

green, and red stereoscopic pictures, such cycles of image presentation being then repeated as re-' quired. If the entire scanning cycle above detive and the original colors of the field of view being transmitted, that is, inthe case of the transmission of stereoscopic pictures, means'are provided at the transmitter for transmitting alternately the trains of electrical signals representative of two types of images of the objects to be transmitted, the viewpoints for which types of images correspond to the left eye and the right eye respectively of the observer and are effectively spaced at the interpupiilary distance of the eyes. At the receiver, the transmitted signals are converted into light images on a viewing surface. Thus, there appear on that surface in cyclic.repetition the corresponding left-eye and right-eye images. The viewer 0bscribed, involving as it does the presentation of six different images (corresponding respectively to two viewpoints separated by the interpupillary distance, each viewpoint being presented in three component colors), occurs within a suiilciently brief time, tricolor fusion as well as stereoscopic fusion occursinthe eyeandbrain of'the observer. Accordingly, theobserver will see a colored stereoscopic picture underthese condi tionsandasaremltoftheparticularimaga.

presentation regime herein described.

Accord sly, it is the object of my invention to provide a television apparatus capable of reproducing colored stereoscopic pictures or other images.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new, simplified receiving method for receiving monochromatic stereoscopic pictures.

Another object of my invention is to provide Q a new and simplified television system for reproducing monocular color images.

A further object of my invention is to provide a new viewing device which may be hand-held for converting black and white images into .colored stereoscopic images, colored images, or

stereoscopic images.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description, in which reference will be made to,

the drawings; wherein,

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents somewhat diagrammatically a color transmitting and receiving tele- Figure 3.shows a side view of the viewing instrument shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6, and Figure 'I show disks suitable for use in myyiewing device for viewing stereoscopic pictures;

Figure 8 and Figure 9 show filter disks which are suitable for use in my device for viewing color pictures; while Figure 10 shows a disk'suitable for use in my viewing device for viewing colored stereoscopic pictures.

For purposes of explaining the principles of my invention I have shown in Figure 1 a television system for transmitting colored images which embodies a method and apparatus which will be described in detail below., It will be appreciated that in order to make the explanation as simple as possible the system shown is for transmitting colored pictures. The same principles, however, are applicable to the transmissionof stereoscopic pictures and for transmitting colored stereoscopic pictures.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown at III the colored object to be transmitted. An optical system III produces an image on the scanning device Ill. The scanning device is shown schematically, merely by way of example,

as an iconoscope. A suitable deflection systemi'or controlling the scanning'bearn is shown at I21. Interposed between the-optical system Ill and the scanning device H5 is a tricolor filter disk ll'I driven by a motor H8. The filter disk is provided with three filters I2I, I23, I 25, which may be of any suitable tricolor combination, such as, for example, blue, green, and red. A suitable synchronizing system I20, controlled'by or related to the field synchronizing or deflecting system I21, serves to, operate the motor synchronously with the deflection system. For purposes of illllustration, it will be assumed that an odd-line interlaced system of 120 fields and 40 frames is used. Signals from the scanning device Ill are amplified by the amplifier I2! and' transmitted by way of transmitter III to the transmission snedium by the-antenna I".

It will be appreciated that the transmitter will embody a modulator and means for reinserting a D. C. component-in the event that the D. C. component is not transmitted by the amplifier I29. It will also be appreciated that the usual and conventional blanking and synchronizing.

signals are also transmitted. 'In operation, there wilibethrown onthescanningdevice Illan,

z 3 image whose color will be determined by the filter I2I and, for purposes of illustration, it will be assumed that the filter I2l is blue. This blue image is scanned as the first field, and, consequently, will be an odd-line picture. Following the completion of the scanning of the blue image, the filter I23, assumed green, is interposed between the optical system and the scanning device to produce the green component image of the object III on the scanning device III. This is scanned as the even field. Following the completion of this scanning of the green image, the filter I25, assumed red, produces a red image on the scanning device which is scanned as an odd field image. Following the completion of this scanning, the blue filter III produces a blue image, which is scanned as an even field, while the subsequent repetition of the above steps *produces green scanned as an odd field and the red scanned as an even field, and this cycle is thereafter repeated.

Due to the retentivity characteristics of the eye, there will thus appear an image at the receiver, when appropriate steps aretaken, which bears a faithful reproduction of the colors of the object III. This is brought about in my invention by receiving the signals at the antenna I and detecting them in a conventional television receiver I 81. The video output signals of the receiver I21 are then fed to a kinescope I" having a screen or target Ill, which screen preferably luminesces with substantially white light when impacted by the modulated scanning beam. A deflection system Iii produces the vertical and horizontal scannning of the beam in synchronism with the scanning action at the transmitter. There will thus be reproduced on the screen Ill a series of black and white fields which are interlaced, and which black and white fields contain disk 1.

the color information transmitted. Hand-held (or otherwise locally supported) and interposed between the eyes of the observer I" and the screen of the kinescope Ill is my viewing device l".

The viewing device comprises a filter disk driven by a motor, which motor bears a synchronous speed and phase relation to the driving motor H9 at the transmitter. The filter disk contains blue, green, and red filters in sequence and in such numbers that there will appear in front of two apertures to which the eyes are ,placed pairs of identical filters during the rotation of the disk, in the order of blue, green and red, in the case of the example shown. Means are provided for properly phasing the filter disk of the viewing device I" with respect to the filter Thus, in operation, if the blue filter I2I is eflective at the transmitter, then before each of the apertures ISI there will appear blue filters so that the observer sees the black and white field reproduced on the screen Ill as a blue image, followed, in turn, by green and red images. The cycle is then repeated and, since the line and frame frequency is high enough, color fusion takes place by the additive process to produce a final image which is colored in accordance with the colors of the original,

object Ill.

In thedeflection system III there is shown schematically a switch I and contacts II! and Ill for selecting appropriate values of constants of the deflecting system so that alternatively one may receive black and white images transmitted from a station transmitting conventional black' and white signals, when the switch is in a posifields, and frames necessary to receive a given type of picture. Thus, for example, black and white pictures would embody 525 lines odd-line interlaced with sixty fields and thirty frames per second and would be received when the switch is' in the position I55. Colored pictures would be received when the switch is in the position I53, with, for example, about 375 lines odd-line interlaced with 120 fields and 40 frames per secend. This would insure substantially the same Q band width of frequencies, while maintaining approximately the same relation of horizontal to vertical resolutions; For color stereoscopic pic:

tures the number of fields would have to be dou-" bie the number used for the transmission of color pictures or 240 fields per second, as will be explained below, and, in which case, the switch I" would have to select a different set of constants for the deflection system [5| corresponding for the same band width bf frequencies to the smaller number of about 275 lines. However, it must be understood that different band widths oi frequency may be made available for the various types of transmission, in which case the preceding numerical illustrative values will not hold, and the switch 9 will also control received band width appropriately for each type of transmission.

In Figures 2 and 3 there is shown in somewhat more detail in elevation and side view a suitable viewing device embodying the principles of the invention. The motor ll, mounted-on suitable brackets 9 and It, serves to rotate the color disk 2| mounted on the shaft 2. It will be appreciated that while the disk is shown being driven by the motor shaft itself, suitable gearing may be interposed between the motor and the filter disk ii. The brackets 9 and in are mounted on a cylindrical casting I3 which is preferably lined with sound absorbent material i4. Inside the casing is the color disk 2! on which are the tricolor filter elements l6, I5, 20, i9, i8, i1. These are sequences of red, green, and blue so that the rotation of the color disk in thedirection It brings before the eye apertures 3 and l the identically colored sectors corresponding to the right and left eyes of the observer, respectively, in the same sequence as the corresponding color scannlngs at the transmitter and the same rate of appearance as the corresponding color fields follow each other and spaced at proper interocular interpupillary distance. Suitable shields I and 4 may be mounted On the viewing side of the casing l3 to prevent extraneous light from reducing the date people having different interocular or interpupillary distances.

If there were only three color sectors on disk 1|, it would not be convenient to have filters of the same color simultaneously in front of both eyes of the observer, if the disk is to have minimal dimensions. This diificulty is overcome by preferably providing an even number of sets of the three filters on the disk, for example, six filters, twelve filters, or eighteen filters, and so on. Increasing the number of sectors, however, may produce an eifect comparable to aperture distortion, that is to say, that the total time taken for a filter to entirely enter the field of view may be a large portion of the total time that any filter remains in view. Under these conditions, since the entrance of the filters for each eye is in the opposite direction, there may appear to the observer an image in which a relatively dark band travels across the picture in the vertical direction. This effect, however, is rendered harmless by insuring that the time of entry of the leading edge of the filter section (time of apparent sweeping oi the leading edge across the field of view) is but a very small proportion of the time that the filter actually covers the whole field.

Practically, this is brought about by insuring that each filter sector is bounded by sides whose included angle is large relative to the angle'subtended by the tangents to the pupillary apertures passing through the center of rotation of the disk. Thus, for example, with 120 color fields per sec ond the motor may have, for direct drive of a six-sector disk, three pole pairs for pairs for 60 cycles per second power supply; that is to say, the motor should operate at 1200 R. P. M.

The power supply line 25 to the motor 21 may be passed downward through the interior of the hollow and light handle 30 for supporting the viewing device, leaving at the bottom of the handle I! and terminating in an extension cord and plug so that the viewing device may be plugged into any convenient available source of supply energy of correct frequency. A suitable pushbutton switch or phasing interrupter is connected in series with the power supply line. The switch is normally in a closed circuit position and is open only when pressure is applied thereto. Momentary pressure on the button 23 therefore causes the circuit to open permitting the motor to lose speed momentarily and hence can be used for "slipping the rotor until it is in phase with the filter disk at the transmitting point. Moreover, slipping adjustment can be alternatively or additionally provided by mounting the motor I I so that it can be bodily rotated by hand about its axis with respect to the casing II. This also permits accurate phasing of the viewing device with a transmitter disk so as to take account of the time delay between the transmission and reception of the signals.

Furthermore, as a matter of convenience and for steadiness oi viewing, the viewing device may be provided with an adjustable chin rest 20, which is slidably adjustable along the holder or handle ll. The chin rest may be held in position,

once the adjustment is made. by means of I.

- knurled screw ll.

- tively to the sectors 20, I5, and IQ of Figure 2.

It will be noted that in Figure 8 the location of apertures N and 10 lies on a horizontal diam- An alternative form is shown in Figure 9, in which the eye pieces l1 and 18 no longer lie on the horizontal diameter of the disk, but both of the apertures l1 and I. lie on one side of the diameter. This represents the non-horizontal centered type disk. It will be noted that under such conditions the total number of sectors is an odd number. The modification of the disk shown in Figure 9 is useful where the size of the motor for driving the disk becomes comparable with the interocular distance. Under these conditions, to use a disk of the type shown in Figure 8 would mean that a portion of the field-viewed by the eye would be obscured by the motor. By .placing the eyepieces below the motor, as shown in Figure 9, this difficulty is avoided It will be appreciated that while the number of sectors is shown in the case of Figure 8 as being six that actually the number of sectors may be increased to 12, 18, etc., in which series th sequence of blue, green, red is followed, while in the case of Figure 9 the number of sectors may be, in addition to that shown, 15, 21, etc. It is desirable, however, generally speaking, to keep the number of the sectors minimum and to use a maximum motor speed necessary.

to insure proper synchronism between the disk of the viewing device and that of the transmitter, since such a combination results in the smallest "aperture distortion"eflect.

Turning now to the transmission and reception of stereoscopic pictures in monochrome, I have shown in Figure 4 a horizontally centered type disk of two sectors; one of the sectors 43 is blank or may be covered with transparent material, while-the other sector 44 is opaque. As illustrated, light will pass through the eye pieces 4| assas'eo eter. and, consequently. represents a horizontally centered type viewing device.

. subjective color fusion of the images takes place and willbe completely blockedthrough the eye a piece 42. As a consequence, only one eye receives at a time a light image. At the transmitting point, a steroscopic television system transmits pictures which are representative of a scene as it would be seen with the right eyev and the left eye alternately. Such a system may take the form of that disclosed in Zworykin U. 8. Patent 2,107,464, for "Television system. Due to visual or subjective fusion of th two images, the alternate viewing provides a stereoscopic effect that is well known'in the art. I

In Figure 5 there is shown a six-sector horizontally centered type disk in which the sectors are opaque and light transmitting alternately.

- In Figure 6 there is shown a non-horizontally. centered type disk of four sectors, in which eye pieces are shown at II and 54, while in Figure 7 there is shown an eight-sector non-horizontally centered type disk with the eyepieces located at II and I. It will thus be appreciated that for.

the horizontally centered disk the number of sectors may be 2, 6, 10, 14 and so on, while for the non-horizontally centered type the number of sectors would be one chosen from the series 4, 8, i2, 16, etc.

In Figure 10 there is shown a disk of thenonhorizontally centered type suitable for receiving colored stereoscopic pictures. In this pictur the disk has sectors which are composed of alternate- 1y light transmitting 'sections and light occulting sectors. The light transmitting sectors have band-pass spectral tron ranges and may,

'. for example, comprise blue. green and red filters.

,In Figure 10, for example, the sectors II and I. are blue. The sectors II and 01 are green and the sectors It and Theeye pieces fore his eye.

8| and "I2 are-positioned above the horizontal diameter of the disk. The sectors 90, 02, ll, .8, II and lot are opaque. Thus, as the disk rotates, it will be clear that the left eye will see the image corresponding to the view that would be seen by the left eye of an observer holding a red filter before his eye.

with further rotation of the disk the aperture transmitting light to the left eye is occulted by the opaque section III, while simultaneously the right eye has placed in front of it the red section of filter t6 and will see the image correspondingto the view that would be seen by the right eye of an observer holding a red filter be- This pair of viewings or images will therefore form a red stereoscopic image. Further rotation of the disk would similarly provide a green stereoscopic image, and still further rotation would produce a blue stereoscopic image.

By rotating the disk at sufiiciently rapid rate,

so that the observer perceive a color stereoscopic representation truly indica ve of and corresponding to the original object and its surrounding color and spatial relationships. The color stereoscopic transmitting station may be in the form of the type described in the Zworykin Patent above identified to which there would be added before the single transmitting pickup device a color secterdisk for providing for the following cyclically repeated scannings: 1. red scanning of the left eye view; 2. red scanningoi the right eye view; 3. green scanning of the left eye view; 4. green scanning of the right eye view; 5. blue scanning of the left eye view; 6. blue scanning of the right eye view.

It will be appreciated that only three sectors in the transmitting filter disk would be requiredand the rotation of the disk would be such as to insure that the speed of rotation of the disk is such that the time duration during which the red filter, for example, covers the tube is equal tn the time to provide cmnplete scannings for both the right and left eye. Where two transmitting tubes are provided adisk similar to the one shown in Figure 10 may be used so that one tube is occulted during the time the other tube has a filter in front of it, and thereafter the second tube is occulted, while the first tube has a'filter of the same color covering it. It is believed that since these principles are so well understood, that it is unnecessary to illustrate such a transmitter in order to provide a complete and adequate understandins of the invention.

In certain cases four-color componentpictures may be used for color separation purposes, ac-

cording to the Zander, Hering, or Ladd-Franklin' theories, in which cases the "primaries are red, yellow, green, and blue. Such a quadri-color process may have a non-horizontally centered viewing arrangement and a number of sectors chosen from the-series s, 12, is, 24, etc. For

stereoscopic quadri-color television the disk may have 8 color sectors alternating with 8 opaque television, or, in accordanc with present standands, 360 fields per second. This will be apparent when is taken of the fact that if only color fields persecond were used, s

ten frames per second (three color fields alternated by three black fields constituting one complete picture). For this reason, therefore, the number of fields per second for colored stereoscopic pictures must be increased.

Various alterations and modifications oi the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art and it is desirable that any and all such reasonable modifications and alterations be considered within the purview of the present invention.

Having now described the invention, what is claimed is: l

1. A hand-held viewing device for color television image production observation comprising a handle support member, a housing element having a pair of viewing apertures spaced from each other at substantially interpupillary eparation, said housing element being supported by the handle, a rotary color filter disk unit having at least a pair or series of sectorially shaped color filter areas with each series including a filwr element of each componentcolor of the image to be viewed, said color filter disk unit being so located within the housing that like color filter areas are aligned with each of the viewing apertures simultaneously to be viewed therethrough, a sound absorbing material lining the said housing element, a drive motor means supported from the housing element for rotating the color filter unit and bringing the color filter elements of the disk successively into registry with the viewing apertures, a phasing interrupter element positioned on the handle elevent to control, with brief actuation, the said motor and thereby align like component color filter areas substantially instantaneously with .the viewing apertures to phase filter rotation drive with the image production on an area to be viewed and means adjustably supported on the handle support means for resting the observer's chin and permitting thereby fixed positioning of the eyes of an observer relative to the viewing apertures in the housing element.

2, A hand-held viewing device for stereoscopic television image production observation comprising a handle support member, a housing element having a pair of viewing apertures spaced from each other at substantially interpupillary separation, said housing element being supported by the handle, a rotary color filter unit having a plurality of sectorially shaped color filter areas iormed to include at least one filter element of a color corresponding to each component color component color filter areas substantially instantaneously with a predetermined viewing aperture so as to phase filter rotation drive with the image production on an area to be viewed.

3. A hand-held viewing device for color television image production and observation comprising a handle support member, a housing element having a pair or viewing apertures spaced from each other at substantially interpupillsry separation, said housing element being supported by the handle, a rotary color filter disk having at least a pair of series of sectorially shaped color filter areas with each series including a filter element of each component-primary color 0! the image to be viewed, said color filter disk being so located within the housing that like color filter areas are aligned with each of the viewing apertures simultaneously and viewed therethrough, a

drive motor means supported from the handle for rotating the color filter unit and bringing like color filter elements successively into registry with the viewing apertures and a phasing switch unit located within the handle element to control the said motor and thereby align like componentprimary color filter areas substantially instantaneously with the viewing apertures to phase filter rotation drive with. the image production on'an area to be viewed.

4. A viewing device for binocular stereoscopic observation of images created upon an observation area comprising a disk element having at least one series of cyclically recurring seotorially shaped color filter elements of each component color of a multicolor additive system and said disk also having a series of sectorially shaped opaque sections or a size comparable to each color filter element and arranged so that each component color filter element is'separated from each preceding and succeeding component filter element of the series by a single opaque section,

A a support means for positioning said disk unit of an image to be viewed and an opaque filter area separating each color filter sector, said color filter disk unit being so located within the housing and so positioned relative to the viewin aperture that a color filter area is aligned with one of the viewing apertures simultaneously with the alignment of an opaque filter area with the other aperture so that an image plane is observable alternately through, the apertures and in difierent colors, a drive motor means supported from the handle and contained within the housing ior rotating the color filter unit and alternately bringing the color filter elements successively into registry with one of the viewing apertures and an opaque section alternately in the path of .the other aperture, a phasing switch unit located within the handle element to control the said motor and thereby align one of for rotation so that the observation area may be observable along two paths through spaced individual sectors of the disk, and a drive means for rotating said disk so as to bring color filter elements and opaque occulting elements alternately and successively into the two observation paths in a cyclically recurrent order so that the centralmost point of a color filter area coincides with the axis of one observation path simultane ously with coincidence of the axis 01' the other observation path and the centralmost point of an opaque area, and vice versa.

5. A hand-held locally supported binocular viewing device comprising a substantially cylindrical casing element, a sector disk positioned V for rotation within the said casing, the sectors of said disk having diiierent chroma-tic light absorrption characteristics and being arranged in a cyclically recurrent order, motor means integrally associated with the said device for rotating the disk and the therewith associated sectors, said casing also having a pair of apertured means for permitting the transmission of light ravsjrom one side or the casing to the other through the 6. A hand-,held viewing device for color stereoscopic image observation com-prising a handle support member, a rotary filter element havin at least one series of sectorially shaped color filter elements each series including at least .one unit of each component color of a multicolor additive system, a series of sectorially shaped opaque image occluding sections of comparable size each component color filter element for separating each component color filter element from each preceding and succeeding color filter of the series, a housing elementhavin included therein a pair of viewing apertures, said housing lbei l supported from the handle and enclosing the rotary filter element, and the apertures within the housing being spaced at substantially interpupillary separation of an observer, the said apertures with the exposure or an opaque section through the other aperture and vice versa for viewing, a drive motor means also supported from the handle and connected for rotating the said filter element and causing the color filter elements and the opaque sections to pass the viewing apertures, and a phasing interrupter unit positioned on the handle to control, with brief-actuation, the said motor and thereby to align the component color filter areas substantially instantaneously with the viewing apertures so as to phase the filter rotation with the image production on an area to be viewed;

7. A hand-held viewing device for color stereoscopic image observation comprising a handle support member, a rotary filter element having at least two series of sectorlally shaped color filter elements lot which each series oi color filters includes one unit of each componentcolor of ,a multicolor additive system, a series of sectorially shaped opaque lmage'occluding sections each of a size comparable to each component color filter element, and opaque sections being located on the filter between each color transmitting element for separating each component color filter element from each preceding and succeeding color filter oi. the series, a housing element for the rotary filter element supported upon the handle, said housing having included therein a pair of viewing apertures which are spaced at substantially interpupillary separation of an observer, the said apertures also being so located relative to the housing and the enclosed rotary filter that instantaneously a single filter element of the component color series is revealed through one aperture simultaneously with the exposure or an opaque section through the other aperture and vice versa for viewing, a drive motor means also supported from the handle and connected for rotating the said zfllterelement' and causing the color filter elements and the opaque sections to pass the viewing apertures so that the successive colors of the alter appear in like order before each aperture, and a phasing interrupter unit positioned on the handle to control, with brief actuation, the said motor and thereby to align the component color filter areas substantially instantaneously with the viewing apertures so as to phasethe filter rotation with the image production on an area to be viewed.

ALFRED N. GOLDSMITH. 

